_In The News August 2005 Vol. 8-8
President’s Message
|
It
is that time of year again, when we begin to prepare our children for
learning. I enjoy the children who live nearby as they share
their new learning tools with me....pencils, folders, book bags,
pencil cases, erasers, markers and paper. If we could just
bottle that enthusiasm and save it for the days when the child needs
it. As parents, it is up to us to keep our children enthusiastic
about learning. We can do that by being good role models.
Learning is a life-long adventure and our children benefit by seeing
us in the pursuit of new ideas and information. |
Have you ever put your
trust in someone and had that trust abused? Most of us have had
this uncomfortable experience. We have had that happen to us Thank you for your many phone calls
this month. It has been wonderful to touch base with so many of
our returning parents and students and greet new students and parents.
Your summer experiences have sounded delightful. And, I
thoroughly en
|
|
We Work For You!
Knowledge
Headquarters We hope you will take many opportunities to visit these sites. If you have suggestions, we would like to hear those as well. |
recently. It is a painful experience. The immediate
reaction is to recoil in order to protect oneself and I suppose we
have done that for a period here. However, in our hearts we know
that these bumps and bruises are part of the experience
of life and the risks that we take each and every day. If we
don't expose ourselves to these risks, then our experiences are not as
great. One of my favorite sayings is, "The more
uncomfortable we are, the more we are growing." We have
grown a lot this month and we expect more uncomfortable times
ahead. We will go on putting our trust in people
every day. It would be unfortunate if we let people who would
harm us, also control us. There are very few who would abuse the
trust given to them. 
joy
talking with new subscribers and parents who are contemplating a
program for their children. We hope you will keep those phone
calls and emails coming. You make our
days brighter! 
Did
you know that Knowledge HQ, Inc. maintains many websites? The
websites create part of our ongoing effort to enhance the
teaching-learning process through online learning. 
| Page 2 |
|
Life's only lasting joy comes in erasing the boundary line between "mine" and "yours." Unknown |
 Learning
with e-Tutor
What Does Accreditation Mean To You e-Tutor was accredited by
two outside agencies in March. It was a huge endeavor for us to
go through the process, but we felt it necessary to give pa The North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) and the Commission on Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA) are non-governmental, voluntary organizations that accredit more than 9,ooo public and private schools in 19 states, the Navajo Nation and the Department of Defense Dependents' Schools worldwide. To earn accreditation,
schools must meet NCA CASI - CITA's quality standards, be evaluate by
an outside group of professionals and implement a school improvement
plan focused on increasing student performance. Accreditation is
voluntary and must be renewed each year.
»
Benefits to Students Transfer of credits. In addition to raising student achievement, accreditation eases the transition of students as they move from one accredited school to another. The regional nature of accreditation allows a receiving school in the same or another state to assess the quality of a sending school and accept the incoming student's credits and academic record. This ease of transfer applies across the nation through reciprocal agreements between the regional accrediting agencies. Access to programs and scholarships. Accreditation can also benefit students as they participate in specific sports programs, apply for federal grants or scholarships or pursue admission to colleges, technical schools or military programs that require students to come from regionally accredited schools.
»
Benefits to Parents
and the General Public Sixteen new lessons
were added to the |
|
You may have heard about the impressive academic accomplishments of students in Japan. There are numerous reasons why Japanese children seem to accomplish more. But one important reason is that Japanese students are expected to learn. They are taught, in the home and at school, that effort is the key to success. Ability, on the other
hand, is rarely mentioned. One American who live in Japan said
that Japanese recognize differences in ability among children.
But they consider these differences to be like the distinction between
an automobile capable of going 100 miles per hour and one capable of
doing `40. There is a difference, but for most purposes, it is
irrelevant. Japanese teachers and parent teach children perseverance, self-discipline and concentration. For example, Japanese children typically spend at least twice as much time on homework as children in the United States. Illinois Association of School Boards |
rents
and students the security of knowing that e-Tutor has the strong
reputation we have been telling you about over the
years. 
| Page 3 |
|
The best that the great teachers can do for us is to help us to discover what is already present in ourselves. Irving Babbitt (1865-1933) Scholar |
An effective learning program must consider a wider range of objectives than just skill work. Our children should understand skills necessary for daily life, but these are neither more nor less important than the development of understandings that free our children from rote memorization. In grade K-4 the learning program should include numerous opportunities for communication so the child can:
By grades 5-8, learning should include
opportunities to communicate so that students can:
If you see some of the rationale for the Activities and Extended Learning sections of the e-Tutor lessons above, you are correct. We encourage parents to take an active part in listening to their children describe their work. Adapted from Today's Mathematics |
|
Predicting outcomes is practiced during the act of reading. Children make logical guesses about what will happen later in a story based upon their understanding of text-based clues and their prior knowledge. Predicting outcomes is similar to using
the strategy of inference. When predicting outcomes and making
inferences, children must find stated, text-based clues and integrate
them with their prior knowledge. Predicting outcomes may be
thought of as "forward inferencing" because children examine
a stated cause and infer an effect that has not yet been stated.
When making an inference, on the other hand, children analyze a stated
effect and must infer its cause. Predicting outcomes can be used to monitor reading comprehension. Once children have made their predictions, they continue reading to verify their hypotheses. Based on this information, children make new predictions. This process continues until they reach the end of the selection, at which point they verify and evaluate as many predictions as possible. Adapted from Silver Burdett & Ginn |
| Page 4 |
|
Make the most of yourself. For that is all there is of you. |
|
What is this umbrella and what purpose does it serve? It is the curriculum a student receives. It covers everything that is offered in a program. It embraces all learning activities, all experiences and all interactions that are part of the teaching-learning program. In our society and in our country there is a need for all types and varieties of educated people. Certainly we need engineers, doctors, scientists and teachers. We also need farmers, builders, factory workers, artists, clerks and computer technicians. Perhaps we have also come to recognize that we distinctly need trash haulers. Each of these persons, regardless of lifestyle, needs an education that is in keeping with his or her abilities, interests and ambitions. It is the aim of a good educational program to provide the opportunities needed for all to reach potential. Students now are faced with selecting a
direction in keeping with their interests and goals. Some
students choose the college preparatory curriculum; some select the
curriculum which includes courses that prepare them to enter the
business world; some follow courses that prepare them for
service-based careers; others have ambitions in the science and technology
areas; while still others take courses that lead to careers in food
and other product product production. Many students, whose goals
are nut yet firm, choose a general curriculum that embraces required
courses and allows a sampling of se The curriculum umbrella should offer a broad range of topics and skills that are focused on creating a successful learning experience for all students. Adapted from The Master Teacher
|
|
Teenagers long to be accepted, to be part of a group. And groups of teens want everyone to do things the group's way. That's peer pressure and it comes in many forms.
So Parents want children to become self-sufficient, to make their own decisions. The problem is, some days your teenagers may amaze you with their mature insights and the next astound you with some foolish stunt pulled with friends.
Helping Youth Say No, National Assn. of State Boards of Education |
|
Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are almost over. On the horizon: the inevitable beginning of school. Education, now perhaps more than any other time in history, is essential for the welfare and happiness of our children. Let your child know that you expect education to be a high priority. Encourage your child to view his education as a challenge and an opportunity rather something to be avoided or dreaded. The following are some suggestions for making the coming school year successful.
By Hap LeCrone, Cox News Service |
| Page 5 |
|
A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains. |
Actionbioscience:
This link is a non-commercial, educational web site created and managed by BioScience Productions, Inc. to promote bioscience Diamond Ranch: This site by the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum contains
colorful characters and a variety of activities for young children including songs, games, reading and
coloring. Cowboy Jack and Dusty Trails teach and entertain as children enjoy a
visual ride through the museum and interact with cowboys from the
Diamond R Ranch to learn the code cowboys live by....honesty, integrity
and plain hard work. Care For Animals: This site, presented by the American Veterinary Medical Association, is
an excellent site for helping young children learn about caring for pets. Animated Journeys is easy to navigate and contains areas such as Wishing You a Wonderful Month! From the Knowledge HQ Staff Copyright © 2005 Knowledge Headquarters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.knowledgehq.com
|
veral
curriculums. 
metimes
peer pressure comes in the form of a direct challenge: "If
you don't join us, you're out!" More often peer pressure
will be in the form of silent rules. "Do it with us
or be excluded." No matter what its form, peer pressure is
real and teenagers are especially vulnerable. To help your
children during their teenage years you can begin with
understanding. 
Make
Return To School Days A Calm Event
